Jude Bellingham
Jude Bellingham

Jude Bellingham scored twice, including a decisive extra-time winner, to send England past Norway 2-1 in a fiercely contested World Cup quarterfinal in Miami on Saturday, pushing Thomas Tuchel's side within one win of its first men's World Cup final since 1966.

Norway took the lead in the 36th minute when Andreas Schjelderup's dipping effort beat England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, with Martin Ødegaard credited with the assist. England responded almost immediately, equalizing in first-half stoppage time when Bellingham, the Real Madrid star, took a pass from Anthony Gordon in stride and beat Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland to make it 1-1 heading into halftime. The match remained level through 90 minutes, forcing extra time.

Bellingham struck again just three minutes into the extra period, capitalizing after Nyland could only parry a shot from substitute Morgan Rogers, giving England the lead for good and completing his two-goal performance. The result pushes England into the semifinals to face Argentina, a match set to be broadcast live on the BBC, after Argentina defeated Switzerland in the tournament's other quarterfinal.

BBC chief football writer Phil McNulty described England's path through the match as one shaped almost entirely by Bellingham's individual brilliance. "England stand one win from their first men's World Cup final since 1966 as Jude Bellingham's brilliant two-goal display inspired them to come from behind to beat Norway after extra time in Miami," McNulty wrote, adding that Tuchel's side "rode their luck in a quarter-final played in fierce heat and humidity, but Bellingham was once again the talisman to send England into the last four."

McNulty noted that Bellingham's reaction after his first-half equalizer reflected the composed manner in which he has carried England through the tournament. Rather than an elaborate celebration, Bellingham simply turned and jogged back to the center circle in what McNulty described as "businesslike fashion," pausing only to rally the crowd of England supporters inside Miami Stadium. Saturday's extra-time winner brought Bellingham's tally to six goals across the tournament, continuing what McNulty characterized as "almost looks like a personal mission to bring glory to England."

Tuchel was forced into changes at halftime, withdrawing Declan Rice, who had been managing illness and injury, along with winger Noni Madueke, and introducing Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka in their place. The substitutions came as England searched for a spark against a resilient Norwegian side that had already produced the deepest World Cup run in the country's modern history by reaching the quarterfinals.

Norway continued to threaten after the break despite trailing on the scoresheet for much of the second half. A goal from Torbjorn Heggem was ruled out following a VAR review after Erling Haaland was judged to have fouled England's Elliot Anderson with a shove in the buildup, a decision that denied Norway what would have been a restored lead. Norway also struck the crossbar through a header from David Moller Wolfe later in the match, underscoring how closely contested the game remained even as England ultimately advanced.

Haaland, who entered Saturday's match having scored seven goals across the tournament and emerged as one of its most talked-about individual stars both on and off the pitch, was unable to make a decisive attacking impact against England. McNulty wrote that Haaland "threatened fleetingly, almost cashing in on a loss of concentration by John Stones in the first half," and grew visibly frustrated when teammate Alexander Sorloth opted to attempt a solo effort rather than pass to an unmarked Haaland with a clear run on goal. Haaland was ultimately substituted at the start of the second half of extra time. McNulty noted that Haaland "knew what was coming after the video assistant referee intervened" on the disallowed Heggem goal, adding that he "barely" celebrated in the match's aftermath.

Despite the disappointing result, McNulty wrote that Haaland's broader tournament had brought "great pride to Haaland and Norway," reflecting the significance of Norway's run to the quarterfinal stage for a country making just its second major tournament appearance in more than two decades after missing the World Cup since 1998.

Bellingham was named player of the match, finishing with an average rating of 8.88 according to post-match statistics, well ahead of Norway's top performer, Ødegaard, who registered a 6.48 rating. Schjelderup, the Norway goal scorer, finished with a 6.14 rating, while Haaland's rating of 5.32 reflected his relatively quiet afternoon by the standards of his tournament to that point.

Saturday's match drew an announced attendance of 64,478 at Miami Stadium, played under conditions McNulty described as fierce heat and humidity, factors that appeared to affect both sides as the match wore into extra time. England's win came just days after a demanding round-of-16 victory over Mexico at Estadio Azteca, and McNulty suggested England looked "understandably" jaded for portions of Saturday's contest given the accumulated toll of the tournament's Miami leg layered on top of that earlier match.

With the win, England advance to their third World Cup semifinal since lifting the Jules Rimet Trophy 60 years ago in 1966, a stretch that has included previous semifinal losses to West Germany in 1990 and Croatia in 2018. Tuchel's side will now turn its attention to Argentina, with Lionel Messi's side awaiting in the semifinal after eliminating Switzerland in the tournament's other quarterfinal matchup.

For Norway, meanwhile, Saturday's exit brings an end to a historic tournament run that captured the imagination of the football world, driven in large part by Haaland's seven-goal haul and the underdog spirit surrounding a national team appearing on the World Cup's biggest stage for the first time in nearly three decades. Despite the loss, Norway's performance throughout the tournament, culminating in Saturday's tightly fought extra-time defeat to the eventual finalists, is likely to be remembered as one of the standout stories of the 2026 World Cup.

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